CHINA’S VICE-PRESIDENT and leader-in-waiting Xi Jinping held talks in Beijing yesterday with Zimbabwean leader Robert Mugabe, whom he praised as an “old friend” of China.
Mr Xi described the 87-year-old Mr Mugabe, who has been marginalised by most of the international community for human rights abuses, as “a famed leader of the national liberation movement in Africa and also an old friend whom the Chinese people know well”.
In turn, Mr Mugabe described China as Zimbabwe’s “trustworthy friend” and said his country would like to work more closely with China in sectors of agriculture, minerals and infrastructure, official news agency Xinhua said.
China is often criticised for its “values-free” approach to dealing with some of the countries in Africa and elsewhere that the international community shuns.
Beijing likes to stress it will not intervene in a country’s domestic policy, and that its policy on countries such as Zimbabwe is part of a broader policy of engagement.
At the heart of China’s policies lies the fact its strongly growing economy needs fuel, and it is prepared to make deals with countries that others will not, or dare not, do business with.
Chinese investment generally comes with conditions on providing jobs for Chinese staff and ensuring profits for state-run firms, but Beijing never makes an issue of human rights.
Zimbabwe has become increasingly reliant on Chinese investment because western powers are reluctant to invest in the country, although some money has started to flow in since Mr Mugabe agreed to a power-sharing government a few years ago to stop the country’s economy from collapsing.
“China is willing to join hands with Zimbabwe, enhance friendly exchanges and expand practical co-operation,” Mr Xi said after meeting Mr Mugabe.
Chinese companies are very keen on Zimbabwe’s minerals, and Zimbabwe has excluded Chinese firms from requirements that overseas mining firms there surrender 51 per cent of equity in local operations to blacks in the country.
In March, China signed nearly €520 million in loan deals with Zimbabwe and urged the government to protect Chinese firms from nationalisation plans.
China’s stakes in Zimbabwe include diamond and chrome mining, platinum concessions, road building, commodities such as cotton and tobacco, and a cement manufacturing plant.